The invention relates to joint prosthesis particularly adapted for replacing a joint, such as the joint between the first metacarpal and the trapezium of the human hand, in which one elongated bone (e.g., the first metacarpal) is normally permitted a substantial degree of rotary circumduction with respect to a second bone (e.g., the trapezium), without substantial rotation of the elongated bone about its axis.
Various efforts have been made to design an appropriate joint prostheses to replace damaged or diseased first metacarpal-trapezium joints. Carigman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,916 and Horn, U.S. Pat. No. 2,422,302, for example, disclose ball and socket joint designs, whereas Eaton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,276 discloses a trapezium prosthesis, the use of which employs a segment of the flexor carpi radialis tendon.